An early stage in the construction of a building involves erecting a framework upon which siding or sheathing is applied to form the exterior, and insulation and, in most cases, drywall is applied to create the interior.
The majority of residential structures are constructed with wooden boards known in the art by the convention detailing the thickness and width dimensions, such as 2.times.4. The boards generally form the vertical columns and horizontal beams (known to artisans as girts) of the building frame. Some smaller sized non-residential structures, such as barns, storage buildings and warehouses, are also likewise constructed.
Steel has become a popular alternative to wood as a building material. It is often used to frame commercial buildings like those mentioned above. With price of wood rising rapidly and the quality of structural lumber declining, an increasing number of steel-framed residential structures are being erected on an annual basis.
The vertical columns in a steel-framed building most often take the form of trusses. More particularly, each column is defined by two upstanding members that are connected by braces welded to and extending between the upstanding members to provide strength and support.
In present truss frame assemblies, the horizontal beams are supported by brackets on the outer facing surfaces of the upright trusses. Therefore, the true frame boundary is defined by the outer facing surfaces of the horizontal beams. It is thus recognized that the amount of siding or sheathing needed for the finished building is based on the distance between the outer facing surfaces of the horizontal beams on the opposing sidewalls and the opposing endwalls.
Considered in a different way, the upright trusses are inset on the building foundation from the exterior walls. Since the positions of each truss determines the placement of the internal walls of the structure, one can visualize the availability of an additional amount of usable interior area in the building if the trusses were not inset on the foundation.
Since building construction is an expensive undertaking, a small reduction in material requirements or, viewed alternatively, an increase in usable interior area for a given frame size, can result in significant cost savings and/or greater asset value. Thus, there is a need for a building construction assembly, and a method of building construction, that achieves the desired results.